Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse
Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri
Sydney Pygmy Pipehorse (Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri)
Idiotropiscis is a genus of pygmy pipehorse endemic to Australia found in semi-exposed rocky reefs, sparsely covered with bushy red-algae and bryozoans in which the species is extremely well camouflaged. Like seahorse, the male carries the eggs in a brood pouch. They are called pygmy due to their small size of only a few centimetres.
I have encountered these in Kurnell at ‘the leap’ and ‘the monument’, ‘Bass Point Gutter’ and both the East and West sides of Bare Island.